No More Target Practice

Shooting For Duke Took Its Toll, But Not Its Title

Krzyzewski's Guidance The Clincher For Duke

April 08, 1992|By KEN DAVIS; Courant Staff Writer

MINNEAPOLIS — The way Duke played in the first half of Monday night's NCAA championship game raised unsettling questions about the team's place in college basketball history. Destined to be remembered as one of the elite teams of all time, Duke showed up for the biggest game of the season without its usual poise.

But coach Mike Krzyzewski and his Blue Devils erased all those doubts with a gutsy second half, drawing on their experience, resilience and desire. Those are characteristics five consecutive trips to the Final Four can give a team. The last seven minutes of Duke's 71-51 victory over Michigan Monday night in the Metrodome confirmed what everyone had thought from the day the season began: Duke is the best team in the country.

Duke fans screamed "Repeat, repeat" in the closing seconds of the game, then lingered to chant "Deja vu, deja vu" as the Blue Devils cut the Final Four nets for the second consecutive season. As the first repeat champions since UCLA in 1973, the Blue Devils came away with a significant chunk of history. But the victory Monday night stands on its own merit.

The Blue Devils labored to the finish line Monday night. Krzyzewski's team was physically drained from spending an entire season as a target. Duke can't be accused of taking an easy return trip to the championship stage. In the past two weeks, Seton Hall, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan took their best shots at the Blue Devils. But Krzyzewski, who faced a similar situation in a 72-69 loss to Louisville in the 1986 title game, had the know-how to get this fatigued team through the night.

"I don't think there was much mental fatigue," senior forward Brian Davis said. "I think Coach puts us in a mind-set throughout the year where we're never really tired. That's why we win, because we don't ever feel fatigued."

That mental sharpness enabled Duke to handle the physical fatigue that was painfully obvious.

"I'm glad that was the final game of the season," forward Antonio Lang said. "I don't think I have enough left for another

game. Everybody is drained."

Krzyzewski made good substitutions, bringing players to the bench for short periods of rest leading up to extended breathers at the television timeouts. During warmups, Davis could barely walk on his sprained left ankle. Krzyzewski still managed to get 10 minutes out of his senior co-captain. That gave Grant Hill and Thomas Hill chances to rest before the decisive, 23-6 blitz in the final seven minutes.

"We don't practice very much," Krzyzewski said. "Our practices are short, but we spend a lot of time together. Our team has had fun all year. We don't over work. We save our work for games."

Davis was injured. Grant Hill had been slightly ill during the day. And senior center Christian Laettner, college basketball's player of the year and the all-time leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament, played the first half as if he were sick. Laettner had five points and seven turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Krzyzewski called it Laettner's worst half of the season. A fastbreak layup and a three-pointer got Laettner on track at the start of the second half and he looked like his old self, finishing with a game-high 19 points.

"I think when a player isn't playing the way he normally does, no matter who he is, you try to help him out in a variety of ways," Krzyzewski said. "We subbed him a lot more so we could talk to him on the bench. We talked softly, harshly, emotionally, trying to get feedback from him and trying to put him in a better position on the court in the first half. In the second half, we had more of a plan and he was emotionally prepared."

"I was running on empty out there," junior point guard Bobby Hurley said, "so I was glad Christian stepped up like he did. That just shows what a great clutch player he is, because that's when we needed him the most. There were a lot of guys tired and he really stepped up for us."

Grant Hill, a sophomore, was the explosive force in the final minutes. He finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Duke scored on its last 12 possessions and Hill had five baskets in that run. Hill's driving dunk with 3 minutes, 32 seconds left gave Duke a 58-47 lead and brought Krzyzewski out of his seat for a rare show of emotion.

With Laettner gone next season, Hill figures to step into a more important role for the Blue Devils. Hill, known as Duke's "Reluctant Superstar," is on the verge of becoming one of the nation's most dynamic players. If Hill adds a jump shot to his assortment of penetration moves, he could be first-team All-America.

"We have a lot of people who can put the ball on the floor," Krzyzewski said. "When Thomas and Grant are looking to get in there, that opens things up for Christian and takes a little pressure off Bobby."

That's what made Duke so good. That and the guidance of Krzyzewski.

"I think it begins with coach," Davis said. "The way he made the schedule, he laid out a game plan -- even after winning the [1991] championship. It's something he followed through with, and he just conveyed that to the team and the staff. Everyone had a part in it.